Animal Cruelty Laws in Alabama

Most of us will either witness or develop some personal knowledge of animal cruelty, abuse, or neglect in our lifetimes. It can be the dog who lives outside on a chain 365 days a year without adequate shelter. It can be the injured cat abandoned in a parking lot and left to die. Perhaps it is the neighbor who has dozens of animals living in filth and receiving no human attention at all.

The obvious questions become, What can I do to help? How can I stop this? The answers can be elusive and can vary depending on what has happened and where. A first step is to familiarize yourself with Alabama’s animal cruelty laws.

Alabama Has Strong Laws Against Abuse & Neglect

Alabama has two sets of cruelty statutes which apply statewide. One set pertains only to dogs and cats; the other pertains to all animals. Both sets of laws address animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect (such as failing to provide appropriate shelter or killing without legal cause) and exempt acts taken when physical injury is occurring or is imminently threatened off of the premises of the animal’s owner.

• Cruelty to Dog or Cat § 13A-11-240 et seq.
• Cruelty to Animals § 13A-11-14 and § 13A-11-14.1

Violation of state cruelty laws is punishable by up to $15,000 in fines and 10 years imprisonment per animal affected:

Although there are opportunities to improve state laws, such as by defining the term ‘shelter,’ most issues with cruelty in Alabama are related to enforcement issues, not due to weakness or any other shortfall of the laws.

When Pets are Seized, § 13A-11-241 Must be Charged

In situations involving an owner’s neglect of his own pets, whether the animals are seized or improved care is ordered for animals left in the owner’s physical possession, it is critical that Cruelty to Dog or Cat be charged.

This is because only Cruelty to Dog or Cat establishes a custody procedure. Delineated in § 13A-11-242 et seq., the procedure requires immediate petition for a hearing to be set within 20 days to determine whether the owner is fit to care for the animals. The procedure is part of the Constitutional right of due process and ensures that pets are quickly returned to the owner, if deemed appropriate, or released for adoption or rescue.

When Cruelty to Animals is charged instead, seized animals become victims of the legal system, languishing in shelters for months or even years until a judgment is issued, often with no resolution for the substantial cost of caring for these animals. The resulting impacts on animals, taxpayers, and shelters are substantial, especially when 25, 50, or 150 animals are seized at once from hoarding situations and brought to shelters that simply do not have the capacity. Sometimes officials drop charges or dismiss cases due to the legal or procedural issues created by the erroneous charge. Other times they incur additional taxpayer expense in an attempt to recover costs in a civil case, as Lauderdale County did in 2025 after incorrectly charging the same abuser — twice!

Yet 25 years after Cruelty to Dog or Cat became law, Cruelty to Animals continues to be erroneously charged in its place. Why?

• The default charge, rather than the correct charge, is chosen. When officers look up ‘animal cruelty’ to enter a charge, Cruelty to Animals is the first search result. Some officers do not look further or are not aware that there is another option.
• The simpler charge, rather than the correct charge, is chosen. Since Cruelty to Dog or Cat describes a custody procedure, restitution provision, qualified witnesses, and other guidance, it is a more complex law that requires more steps as compared to the simpler Cruelty to Animals.
• The requirement to use the charge with the more serious penalty is ignored. Alabama law requires in § 13A-11-247 that when both cruelty statutes are applicable, “the provision which carries the more serious penalty shall be applied.” The shall indicates that the action is mandatory. Even though misdemeanor Dog or Cat carries twice the possible fine as Animals (as seen in the table above), this requirement is regularly ignored.
• Alabama law enforcement officer certification does not include any training on animal laws. Unless an officer has taken initiative to learn about the cruelty statutes or a police chief or sheriff has prioritized animal law in continuing education, officers don’t know better. Combine this with the common view that animal laws are lesser laws, and the result is that these issues continue.

If you are reporting cruelty toward a dog or cat in violation of a state law, we recommend specifically mentioning Cruelty to Dog or Cat and the code section (§ 13A-11-241). If a municipal ordinance also applies, specify it as well.

Some Municipalities Have Their Own Cruelty Laws

If the incident or situation is within the limits of a city or town, check whether there is an applicable municipal law. For example, chaining is permissible under state law but is a violation in some municipalities. As another example, a City of Arab law stipulates clear and specific shelter requirements for dogs habitually kept outside. Prosecution of inadequate shelter under Arab’s ordinance would offer a much greater chance of conviction compared to attempting to prosecute under state laws, which do not define the term ‘shelter.’